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Kremlin confirms Putin will meet Trump and Xi in Shenzhen
The Kremlin, the Russian presidency and government, confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will take part in what it called a “historic” meeting with US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday 19 November (ZDF, 15 Nov). Hubertus Heil opens the race for SPD chair without naming a running mate
Hubertus Heil, Germany’s former labour minister, announced on 14 November 2026 in a letter to his party that he is running for chair of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the first to enter the race (ZDF).
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Transcript
JOHN: Welcome to The Gist. I’m John.
MARY: And I’m Mary. It is Sunday, November 15th, 2026.
JOHN: We are your smart friends on the go. We cut through the noise to tell you who really benefits from today’s news.
MARY: Let’s start with The Gist View. The Kremlin just confirmed a massive diplomatic event. Next Thursday, November 19th, Vladimir Putin will sit down with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
JOHN: The location matters just as much as the guest list. They are meeting in Shenzhen. That is a massive tech and manufacturing hub in southern China.
MARY: The meeting happens during APEC. That is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Think of it as a giant trade club for 21 Pacific-rim economies.
JOHN: The agenda? The endgame for the war in Ukraine. And hosting this gives Beijing a huge advantage.
MARY: Let’s look at the power dynamics. Russia’s economy relies almost entirely on China right now. Beijing is Moscow’s absolute financial lifeline.
JOHN: So, Putin is traveling to Chinese soil. He is meeting the US President there. That setup tests Russia’s total dependence on China.
MARY: Xi Jinping can press Moscow in ways Washington simply cannot. China wins no matter how this shakes out. It is like negotiating a messy divorce in your banker’s living room. The banker always holds the leverage.
JOHN: And speaking of leverage, where is Europe in this room?
MARY: Outside, looking in. German Chancellor Merz insists these talks must not happen without Europeans.
JOHN: But Europe has no seat at the table in Shenzhen. Yet, they will almost certainly be asked to fund and police whatever deal comes out of it.
MARY: That makes the Chancellor’s demand a polite request, not a veto. The resources and the decisions are flowing straight through Beijing.
JOHN: Let’s pivot to The Global Overview. First, the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal reports Iran struck Bahrain this morning.
MARY: It was serious enough that Bahrain’s government told the public to take cover.
JOHN: Does this open a brand new front in the war?
MARY: Not exactly. Tehran has attacked Bahrain several times since this conflict began. This is a severe escalation of an existing pattern, not a totally new war zone.
JOHN: From military conflicts to political ones. Let’s look at Washington.
MARY: The White House is bracing for intense oversight from a Democratic-led Congress. Bloomberg reports White House Counsel Will Scharf was asked if they will obey congressional subpoenas. His answer? “It depends.”
JOHN: He claims company executives who have contact with Trump might be protected by executive privilege. That is a legal shield usually reserved for the president’s closest staff.
MARY: Since the push to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fell apart, the fight has shifted. It is all about congressional oversight now. Control the information, control the power.
JOHN: Let’s move to global sports. Gianni Infantino is the president of FIFA, global soccer’s governing body. The Financial Times reports he is currently on a worldwide apology tour.
MARY: Why is he apologizing? Money. Infantino pitched a plan to sell a six-billion-dollar stake in FIFA.
JOHN: Six billion is a massive asset transfer. Who got upset?
MARY: A lot of national football associations. They pushed back hard against selling off a piece of the sport.
JOHN: So now Infantino has a problem. He wants to be re-elected. But the people voting are the ones furious about the stake sale.
MARY: Exactly. He has to manage the backlash. He is flying around the world, shaking hands, and trying to buy back their loyalty.
JOHN: Let’s bring it back home for The European Perspective. Here in Germany, we have a major political challenge brewing.
MARY: Hubertus Heil just threw his hat in the ring. He is Germany’s former labor minister. Now he wants to be the chair of the SPD. That is the Social Democratic Party.
JOHN: The public broadcaster ZDF reported on his letter to the party. He is the first person to officially enter the race. But there is a catch.
MARY: A big one. The SPD is traditionally led by a male-female duo. But Heil did not name a female running mate in his letter.
JOHN: That is a very deliberate move. He is challenging the current chair, Lars Klingbeil. By running solo, Heil is opening a negotiation.
MARY: Right. He is letting different factions of the party fight over who gets to join his ticket. It is a pure power play. It forces the party to bargain with him.
JOHN: He is an ex-minister. He has strong standing. A contested race could definitely shake up the SPD.
MARY: He says he wants a “proud social democracy.” But his pitch is entirely about branding. He did not mention a single specific policy.
JOHN: Which is a bold choice. Because real economic pain is hitting German voters right now.
MARY: Exactly. The ifo institute just released its latest numbers. They measure the health and mood of the German economy.
JOHN: Their price expectations index looks at how many companies plan to raise prices. It jumped to 25.9 points in October. Up from 23 in September.
MARY: Crude oil and gas prices recently hit their highest levels since 2022. Timo Wollmershäuser, the ifo’s economics chief, says this means inflation will keep rising.
JOHN: Energy costs are high. Companies are taking those costs and passing them directly to the consumer.
MARY: We have been warning that German inflation could top 3 percent. The official inflation readings haven’t confirmed it yet. But the ifo business data points exactly in that direction.
JOHN: Time for today’s temperature check. The overriding theme today is leverage. From a tech hub in Shenzhen to the SPD headquarters in Berlin, power flows to whoever sets the terms. China uses its economic lifeline to host a global endgame. Infantino uses a world tour to secure his soccer empire. And German firms use their market position to pass energy costs onto consumers. Everyone is looking for an edge, and the bill always gets passed down the line.
MARY: Thanks for spending your morning with us. If you found today’s breakdown useful, make sure you never miss an update.
JOHN: You can get The Gist delivered to your inbox every single day for free. Just tap the link in our show notes to subscribe to the newsletter. Have a great Sunday, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
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